The Archives
I'D LIKE TO PURCHASE A PIECE OF ESTATE DAVID WEBB FROM A LOCAL JEWELRY STORE, BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE IT IS AUTHENTIC. CAN I SEND YOU A PHOTO?
The only way to ensure a David Webb piece is real is with a stamped Certificate of Authenticity. If you are planning to buy David Webb jewelry via an estate dealer or auction house, ask them to provide a stamped Certificate of Authenticity. If they cannot, please ask them to contact us at info@davidwebb.com.
"My first break came in 1950, along with 20 pages in a Lord & Taylor catalog.... the second break was the Coty Award I received in 1964. I really emerged as a good designer in the 60s, and developed my own style then."
–David Webb
Authentication Services
Do you Authenticate? What is the process?
Each piece of David Webb jewelry purchased comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. The Certificate of Authenticity provides the owner with documentation of the unique piece; this handcrafted document serves as a testament to the quality and individuality of David Webb jewelry. Only David Webb jewelry with a Certificate of Authenticity can be assured of holding its long-term value.
Each Certificate is individual and includes the Name of the Item; its Description; the Style Number, which identifies the design; the Serial Number, which identifies the specific item; and the official signature and hand-stamped seal of David Webb New York.
Jewelry purchased through auction or a second-hand source can be authenticated by David Webb for a fee of $900. Authentications are provided on premises, at our workshop in New York. The process takes 8 to 10 weeks.
With a successful authentication the piece will be stamped with a unique serial number. If the piece cannot be authenticated, the client will be notified of our findings and the piece will be returned. (Note that authentication charges will not be refunded, even if an authentication is unsuccessful.)
If you'd like to authenticate a piece, or if you have further questions about our authentications process, please call us at +1 (212) 421-3030, or email us.
David Webb Archives.
Selling david webb
I HAVE SEVERAL PIECES OF DAVID WEBB. WOULD DAVID WEBB REPURCHASE THEM?
We do purchase exceptional pieces - especially those with historical value - for the David Webb Museum Collection, but we are not a David Webb reseller.
If your pieces are authentic David Webb, but aren't right for our Museum Collection, we are happy to direct you to other resources for resale. For more information, please email our Archives team at heritage@davidwebb.com, or call us at (212) 421-3030. Please include as much information as possible about the piece(s) - such as date and location of purchase - and attach any photos you may have.
Managing your David Webb collection
MY RELATIVE HAS GIVEN ME A PIECE OF DAVID WEBB JEWELRY. IS IT POSSIBLE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IT?
Yes! Every piece ever produced by David Webb has an original order card, which is housed in our Archive in New York. We can authenticate pieces here in our workshop; pieces which are successfully authenticated will receive an official Certificate of Authenticity, issued by our foreman. Please contact us at info@davidwebb.com for more information.
I HAVE A UNIQUE COLLECTION OF DAVID WEBB JEWELS. DOES THE HOUSE CATALOG PRIVATE COLLECTIONS?
David Webb has created one of the high jewelry industry's most extensive in-house archives, including detailed histories of many of the House's most famous pieces. The David Webb archival team would be happy to discuss your collection. Please contact us.
1970s Jade Advertisement, David Webb Archives.
"Jewelry and objects of art four thousand years old are newer than anything we have today."
Museums and Exhibitions
DOES DAVID WEBB HOST PRIVATE EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS?
David Webb's first in-house exhibition, A Walk in the Woods: David Webb's Artful Animals, took place during September - October 2022 at the flagship boutique on Madison Avenue in New York.
In addition, we regularly host private tours of our workshop, archives and museum collection. Email us at info@davidwebb.com, or call (212) 421-3030, for more details.
IS DAVID WEBB IN ANY MUSEUMS?
David Webb is in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY), the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Paris, France), the Museum of Arts and Design (New York, NY), the Newark Museum (Newark, NJ), and the Houston Museum of Fine Arts (Houston, TX).
In addition, David Webb participates in select jewelry fairs and exhibitions. In 2018, David Webb partnered with the Newport Restoration Foundation in Newport, Rhode Island, to present Designing for Doris: David Webb Jewelry and Newport’s Architectural Gems. The House was featured in a large exhibition with the Norton Simon Museum in 2014 called David Webb: Society’s Jeweler.